


Human No More

by Wind_Writes



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Falloween, Halloween, regency vibes, supernatural prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-13 16:48:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21178298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wind_Writes/pseuds/Wind_Writes
Summary: There was a chill in the manor, one that went deeper than the normal cold and unfriendly feeling that came with a house of this size. It was something darker, almost sinister; a feeling that left her on high alert as she searched out the Master of the house.





	Human No More

Something was wrong, she could feel it in her bones. There was a chill in the manor, one that went deeper than the normal cold and unfriendly feeling that came with a house of this size. It was something darker, almost sinister; a feeling that left her on high alert as she searched out the Master of the house and formed a pit in her stomach when he couldn’t be found.

Izzy had searched all the usual places, the library, his study, the billiard room, even the conservatory, but all she’d found were dark, empty rooms and one pissed off cat she’d scared from his spot atop of a library table. Sweet Pea was in none of the usually places and had gone to great lengths to cover where he had been, if he’d been anywhere at all.

A cold, almost dead feeling settled in the hallway as Izzy let herself out of yet another empty bedroom, the third one on this side of the house she’d checked and come up with nothing. Her green glanced over the railing to the floor below, watching the shadows the lit candelabra made dance against the mahogany colored walls. 

Foot steps from somewhere on the main floor echoed through the foyer, sending Izzy’s heart beating fast at the possibilities she’d mist him upon her first inspection.

Skirts whirling around her ankles Izzy hurried down the front staircase, thinking he would surely be in formal seating room helping himself to a brandy or in the dining room eating a late meal, both things she’d caught him doing on multiple occasions when she found herself unable to sleep and prowling at all hours of the night. Luck was not with her tonight though, and when only her single candle lit the rooms and she was at a loss for where else to go, Izzy turned her attention on the kitchen. It was the last place in this massive house she could imagine he would be.

Scuffling and the clanging of pots on the other side of the door had Izzy hopeful she’d finally found him, figuring he’d failed at sleeping as much as she had and was in search of a late snack, but her features fell when the only person she found was Sara, the cook, settled beside a fire.

“Oh miss!” Sara exclaimed, her eyes wide with fright. The house had been dark when she’s checked last and hadn’t expected to see anyone else moving about at an hour like this.

Waving the cook to remain seated, Izzy put her candle on the table with one Sara must have brought and scanned the large kitchen. “Have you seen Sweet Pea anywhere?”

“I believe the master went out,” her distaste for Izzy’s informal use of her boss’s name evident in her words.

The cook eyed Izzy warily, wondering just what was brewing in the back of her mind. She’d been restless most of the evening, running around the house like a child raised with little manners and not like the woman of class she was supposed to be. It was an attitude none of the household staff were accustomed to or found acceptable.

Outside the kitchen window was pitch black, an overcast sky blocking out much of the moon’s light and the only sound that could be heard was the humming of the flames in the hearth and the scratching of tree branches against glass. 

Izzy watched the darkness for a moment, hoping for some sign that Sweet Pea was somewhere close, but she got nothing. “Out? But it’s the middle of the night.”

Sara simply cocked her brow and shifted in her seat, “Yes miss.”

Chewing on her lower lip, Izzy toyed with her hair anxiously as she wrestled with what to do. “Do you know where?”

“The gardens, if I’m not mistaken.” The cook studied Izzy, unsure of what the young female would do before turning back to the fire she’d started. It was none of her business. Just like it was none of her business who the master invited into his home, but that didn’t stop Sara from having an opinion. She could tell, from a mile away, that the Decker woman was trouble and she had no business living under the same roof as a man with such standing as Sara’s employer. She would lead the house into turmoil is Sara’s intuition came true.

Izzy considered her options for a moment, knowing she should retire back to her room and wait till Sweet Pea decided to find her, but then again, she had never been once to do what she was supposed to. 

Swiping a shawl that hung on a hook, probably one belonging to a scullery maid based on soot stains and faint scent of lye soap, Izzy hurried through the kitchen’s Dutch door and into the darkness.

Sara only shook her head with annoyance as the door slammed behind Izzy, confident there will plenty of gossip for the staff to mutter about come morning.

Skirting around the first row of hedges Izzy picked her way across the uneven walk, past wilted rose bushes and marble cherubs that looked more like gargoyles in the unholy shadows the moon cast. She had no business being out on a night like tonight, acting the way she was. She was here simply as part of deal, a pawn her father was using for political motives, nothing more. She had no business worrying herself about the wellbeing of a stranger… and yet she couldn’t stop the nagging feeling that he was in trouble somehow. 

Lost in her musing, Izzy took another corner and gasped when her name was whispered from the dark.

“Isabelle.” Glancing over his shoulder, Sweet Pea watched Izzy come to an abrupt stop just short of the marble cherub, as if she was surprised to stumble upon him amongst manicured shrubs and frostbitten rose bushes. “You shouldn’t be out at this hour.”

Sweet Pea had sought refuge in the gardens after finding the manor stiflingly restrictive upon his return and in need of some solitude from the bustling off staff that seemed to be in every corner that he turned. The last person he’d expected to see at this hour was the young woman who had taken up residence in a room down the hall from his, though he couldn’t say her sudden appearance was unwanted.

It had been that dark hair and her vibrant green eyes that had kept him awake on more than one occasion since she took up residence under his roof, and though he’d never admit it to anyone, something about having Izzy around had changed the atmosphere of the manor, almost as if the uneasiness caught within its walls had settled a bit.

Izzy rolled her eyes at Sweet Pea’s use of her formal name, irritation evident in her voice. “Izzy. Please”

Though Sweet Pea had concealed most of himself in the shadows of the hedges, Izzy caught the slight upturn of his lips and a flash of white teeth in the clouded moonlight.

“Why are you scouring the gardens at this hour, Izzy.” Sweet Pea drawled, his baritone voice cutting through the shuttering of the hedges and whirling wind that had sent Izzy’s hair dancing.

She could feel his dark eyes on her as he shifted, boots scraping against the cobblestone path and bringing himself around to stand beside the statue. Her skin began to tingle and her pulse race, increasingly uncomfortable with his focused, almost predatory, stare.

Pulling the shawl tighter against her shoulders, Izzy dropped her gaze to the toes of the silk slippers he’d gifted her after one of his trips abroad, the ivory hue a stark contrast from the muddy brown and mossy green of the walk. “I was looking for you.”

Though her words were mumbled under her breath, Sweet Pea caught the meaning behind them and it sent surge through his system. Izzy had come to stay with him only months ago as an agreement between himself and her father, but until this evening, he had assumed her indifferent to him. “And why was that?”

“The staff said you were home, but you didn’t come to dinner.” Suddenly feeling foolish, Izzy began to toy with the fringe of the borrowed shawl. A proper lady would never be caught dead out at this hour running amongst dead garden beds and eerie statues in search of a man who was nothing of personal significance in her life.

“I was… concerned,” Izzy continued, her words trailing off as she brought her gaze upwards and the clouds shifted away from the moon, bringing Sweet Pea into the full light of the night.

Under the normal warm tones of his skin, Izzy could see that his complexion was pale and the fire that usually simmered in his eyes was stoked with something dark. An eerie dark that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up and her fists to clench the fabric of her shawll.

Sweet Pea reached for her wild hair, so used to seeing pinned and twisted away from her face that he couldn’t help but run the stands through his fingers. Her hair slid effortlessly through his fingers, a softness there that he had never expected. Moving from her hair to her skin, Sweet Pea ghosted his thumb along her cheek and let himself relish the feel of soft skin beneath his calloused hands, the sensation bringing a smile to his face.

“Concerned about what,  _ chérie _ ?” He whispered, the French rolling off his tongue with practiced ease.

Izzy only caught a glimmer before Sweet Pea had turned down his lips again, but there was no doubting what she had just seen. He had fangs, like the ones described in stories told by parents to scare their children, and he had flashed them as if it was a feature he’d had all his life. While there were many things around the manor that Izzy hadn’t noticed, everything about Sweet Pea had caught her attention and she was sure the fangs had not been there the last time she saw him. For a moment she could only stare in disbelief at the man in front of her, unable to form a coherent thought as she gaped openly at what she had just seen.

Not knowing where to go or what to do, but confident that being alone with him was not a smart option, Izzy went with her instincts and swung an arm in an attempt to land a well placed blow to his face. She wasn’t aiming to take him down, just startle him enough that she could get herself deeper into the gardens and to safety, but the blow never hit.

Grasping her wrist tightly, anger clouded Sweet Pea’s features. He held tight as Izzy fought against his hold, doing her best to run back to the safety of her room after realizing her first blow wouldn’t get her what she had intended. He could smell that fear rolling off her as she struggled against him, her fingers clawing at his to try and release herself.

He snarled at her foolish attempts to get away, irritated both with himself for letting his secret out so easily, but also with her and her constant need to fight against him. Even now, when most women of her class would have fainted or cowered at the sight of him, she was struggling and fighting. In different circumstances, at a different time, he might even be envious of her determination.

Realizing she was on the losing end of the argument, Izzy slowly stilled in Sweet Pea’s hold but her limbs continued to shake with adrenaline and fear. Everything she had come to know about her time in this place, with him, had been shattered with one glimpse. 

On bravado alone, Izzy forced herself to hold his dark gaze, the obstinance and disdain she openly showed towards him brought a wry grin to his lips and another flash of fangs.

Sweet Pea tugged until Izzy was pressed against his chest and the sound of her racing heart was echoing in his mind. He was not a fool to be trifled with and Izzy best know where they stood. Lips hovering at the shell of her ear, Sweet Pea waited a heartbeat before speaking, a surge of satisfaction going through him as her breathing stilled and her muscles tensed at his close proximity.

“I’m not completely human anymore. Remember that, next time you go to strike me.”

He let the words linger between them for a moment before releasing his hold and stepping away. He watched as Izzy rubbed the wrist that he had held, her tremors easily detectable under the moonlight. Her complexion had paled considerably since coming out in search of him, but the fire in her eyes was unmistakable.

Knowing she was nothing but bluff, yet unwilling to lose against a man, even if he was what others called a creature of the night, Izzy straightened her shoulders and held his stormy gaze, “I’ll make sure I don’t miss next time.”

As he watched her storm back from where she came and to the safety of her room, Sweet Pea couldn’t stop the pounding in his chest the humming of his nerves. Izzy Decker was more woman than he had bargained for but there was one thing he knew for sure, he was determined to make her his.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I don’t normally (and by that I mean ever) write supernatural OR any sort of time period piece, but for some reason this prompt combined with my current binge of regency novels mixed together and got me carried away. I’d say this is more of a short fic than a drabble, but I hope you enjoyed.


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